


Last Call

by mks57



Category: Timeless (TV 2016)
Genre: Alcohol, Conversations, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Gen, Late Night Conversations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-02
Updated: 2018-11-02
Packaged: 2019-08-14 14:54:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16494791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mks57/pseuds/mks57
Summary: #SaveTimeless Birthday Fanwork Exchange: The Salem Mission and Jessica's arrival in the bunker left Lucy and Rufus restless. Unable to sleep, they share a cold beer and talk.





	Last Call

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Somekindofflower](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Somekindofflower/gifts).



> This fic is a gift for Somekindofflowers in the #SaveTimeless Birthday Fanwork Exchange. The prompt I chose from the options was: Rufus and Lucy comforting each other sometime post-Salem.  
> Hope you all enjoy!!

Rufus rubbed his hand over his scalp, finding comfort in the soft feel of his buzzcut before he brought his hand to his neck and gave it massage. He’d been tossing and turning for hours. His mind playing all the details of the mission over and over. Trying to figure out what he could’ve done differently, was there another outcome he could’ve achieved? Or was Sewall always destined die. He was left feeling lost and unsure of himself, it unsettled him and made him question everything.

He had given up sleep hours ago but it wasn't just the troubling thoughts about his life but it was Wyatt and Jessica. The couple started having loud sex around 11pm, Rufus' usual bedtime. They hadn't really stopped, so it was ebbs and flows of loud noises even right now, he heard Wyatt laugh and moan in the distance. The walls were thin, frankly Wyatt was not a quiet person. For someone who didn’t talk all that much, it was an amazing feat. Rufus grimaced in disgust as he and the other inhabitants of the bunker didn’t need to hear them. While he had mixed feelings and was generally uncomfortable with the whole Jessica being alive thing, he was glad Wyatt was genuinely happy. It was a rare side of Wyatt that Rufus had rarely seen. 

Rufus walked out of the living area and stopped as he saw Lucy perched on the staircase. Staring at the lifeboat, she looked withdrawn and heart broken. Rufus was sure about 20% of that was Wyatt choosing Jessica over her. The other 80% of it was Lucy’s Mom’s fault and whatever she endured in her time at Rittenhouse. He knew he should leave her be, but felt the need to reach out. So, he moved to the fridge and pulled out two beers. He uncapped them, the noise not disturbing Lucy from her state. He walked over to her and silently held out the beer.

Lucy looked at the beer on offer for a very long moment and took it. She leaned her head on the baluster, so she could drink with her good arm. She took a long pull of the beer and sighed, enjoying the cool tang of the beer. She couldn’t sleep, her arm was throbbing from the cut she received in the past. Then there was Wyatt and Jessica, the couple reigniting their marriage and sex life only one room away. But the amount of noise travelling through the wall would make one think they were in Lucy and Jiya's room. That was just the tip of the turd that was her life.

But she knew, if Jessica and Wyatt hadn't been having loud and obnoxious sex, she'd still be awake as what really kept her up was Rittenhouse, the memories of her captivity and her mother. How just when she thought she had her figured out, her mother kept surprising her. Kept her wondering if she'd ever be able to untangle the mess that was her family history and legacy. How to untangle her own identity and self worth from it, she always wanted to follow in her mother's footsteps as a child and did so into an adult. Now, she had no idea who she was or what she truly stood for, it left her feeling empty and lost.

“So, Flynn wasn’t entirely useless.” Rufus said breaking the silence. They both looked up at the lifeboat mulling over the different problems they had.

“No, he wasn't. I told you that he was effective.” Lucy said before she took a long pull of her beer. She gave a sigh as she pressed the beer to one of her warm cheeks. Lack of sleep made her internal thermostat a little haywire, she didn't enjoy it as it was just weird to have one flushed cheek. It was just a reminder that she needed to get some sleep.

“Really dramatic. You see how he threw that axe? There was like a whole body roll thing going on. It was kind of cool.” Rufus said with an impressed expression on his face. He knew it was gruesome but TV and video games had desensitized him enough to appreciate the skills that Flynn had.

“I missed it.” Lucy admitted, so much had transpired on the mission. Some parts were blurred while other moments were etched permanently into her memory. She had been focussed on the women, on Abiah and what her mother told her. Her mother's words pleading her to go with her. They cut deep as small part of her did want to go, Carol was her mother and Lucy spent so long following her lead. But Lucy was firm in her decision in not conceding defeat to Rittenhouse or her mother. She would see Rittenhouse defeated if it were the last thing she did.

“You were right. We could trust him.” Rufus told her, Lucy snapped out of her grim thoughts. 

“Look, you’re entitled to your misgivings. There’s a lot of bad history between us and him. But one thing you can trust is that he wants Rittenhouse gone just as much as we do. It’s just that we’re finally on his side. The right side as crazy as that sounds.” Lucy said, defending Flynn and her judgement in trusting him. She trusted Flynn with her life, she trusted he was completely loyal to her. She didn't need to question it because deep in her bones; she knew him.

“Don’t you mean that the other way around? That he’s on our side?” Rufus asked cautiously, Lucy levelled him with a serious look.

“Rufus, we worked for Rittenhouse. The project that created the time machines were funded by Rittenhouse, our mission to stop Flynn was damage control for Rittenhouse. I was handpicked for the missions because I’m technically Rittenhouse by birthright. You were their only pilot, and Wyatt?...I don’t know how he was chosen or why.” Lucy told him, Rufus looked uncomfortable as he wasn’t ready to swallow that hard pill. He took a pull of his beer and gazed at the Lifeboat mulling over her words.

“Can’t be easy with Jessica being back given what happened in 1941.” Rufus said, making the segue from Flynn to Jessica. Lucy toyed with the edge of the beer bottle's label as she mulled over how Flynn walked into their bunker and less than three minutes later Wyatt abandoned her and the bunker. 

“If I had known.” Lucy closed her eyes and shook her head, she was not going to cry over a one-night stand. She huffed a breath, hoping she sounded more annoyed than pathetic as she felt. “I never would’ve let that night happen. I should never have crossed that line to begin with. Honestly, I don’t want to talk about it and trust me, no one is berating me for my poor life choices more than myself.” She finished with a sigh, Rufus wore a sympathetic expression.

She didn’t regret their one-night stand, it was intentional and she wanted it to happen. Yes, she was heartbroken. But it wasn’t about Wyatt, it was about her. She had been using him to solve her problems, she wanted him to be her knight in shining armour, she wanted the sex to help repair the darker schisms in her psyche but he was just a man. He returned to his wife, the woman he'd spent over 5 years trying to solve the murder of. Jessica, the woman he'd loved so deeply that he'd spent the last year trying to save. He risked everything for Jessica.

Lucy didn't begrudge him for going to Jessica. It was what he wanted more than life itself. It was petty of her to feel, but him choosing Jessica so quickly while unintentional on his part made Lucy feel small and insignificant. She knew he didn’t mean to make her feel like that but she did. It was the same feeling she had when her mother used to correct her work, or argue over her until Lucy complied to her demands. It was why, strangely it was a relief he went back to Jessica as she didn’t want to be with a man who made her feel the way her mother did.

Lucy took a long pull of her beer, unsettled by the commonalities between Wyatt and her mother. Both assertive, forceful, ambitious and the best of their selective fields. She pressed her beer bottle to her warm cheeks to cool down as she felt a little sickened as memories of her fights with Wyatt reminded her of fights she used to have with her mother. How in both scenarios, no matter how stubborn Lucy was, she’d always concede to their will just to please them or because she didn’t want to fight.

“You ok? I mean other than the Wyatt and Jessica situation?” Rufus asked her, he broke the cycle of thoughts running in her mind.  He looked at her with genuine concern.

“Not really.” She admitted. “I’m just so wrapped up in my mother and questioning my whole entire life and identity at this point. You know, she still thinks I’ll go back to Rittenhouse. I know I won't but she's so convinced that I'll wake up and get over this 'rebellion' of mine. It has me feeling completely messed up.” She said incredulous as she needed to believe she would never be Rittenhouse. That blood and her family legacy didn’t dictate her future. The ever-present question of if she had free will when a Journal existed and predicted a path for her, a path she personally wrote.

“I couldn’t ever imagine my Mom turning on me like that. Or being a member of a time travelling cult.” Rufus told her, he leaned on the hand railing at the bottom of the stair case. Lucy saw the awkward smile on his lips. He was trying to inject some much-needed levity but also telling her that he was out of his depth. She highly doubted anyone could understand, except maybe Flynn. He understood as he had been consumed by her Journal and his revenge against Rittenhouse.

“It is, what it is.” Lucy said as there was no other explanation. She could feel the tears burning at the back of her eyes but she refused to let them happen. So, she pushed her emotions further from her mind and took a fortifying breath. It seemed the more time passed the easier was to disassociate until something triggered her.

“But is it?” Rufus asked, Lucy frowned at him. “I mean, I know you can’t change who your Mom is, as she’s deeply entrenched in Rittenhouse and their ideology. But, and I know this is a tangent. If we took out Rittenhouse in the past, wouldn’t it save her? or are we just fighting fate, that no matter what we do, we can’t get rid of Rittenhouse because it was always meant to be?” he asked, Lucy wondered if she was drunk as Rufus was making zero sense.

“I’m not sure.” Lucy said, she felt a little woozy from the idea of trying to solve the riddle of time travel and dismantling a cult like Rittenhouse on an empty stomach. Well, not empty as it now had half a bottle of beer in it. 

“I don't know either. It's just that Jiya and her visions. I keep thinking about it, Sewall and how he still died. Then there’s Battlestar Galactica.” Rufus rambled, he looked away with a frown as his brain ran in circles trying to find answers.

“You lost me at Battlestar Galactic.” Lucy told him before she took another sip of her beer.

“You’d love it. It’s all about fate vs free will for many of the characters. How the human race is destined to repeat the same mistakes over and over. That this has all happened before and thus it will happen again, no matter how hard we try to change. Like I tried so hard, to avoid what happened in the vision with Sewall, but there we were; in the field and he still died. Flynn said your Journal told him that you two would be a team. Now you are. But six months ago, you would’ve laughed in his face. I think you did.” Rufus said, he looked thoughtful trying to figure out if that happened or if he just hoped it did.

“I don’t know. What I do know is that it all gives me a headache.” She said honestly, but she still levelled Rufus with a serious look. “You know that Jiya’s visions coming true even though it wasn’t spot on. It's not your fault or hers. She can’t control what she sees, just as you can’t control other people. We just can’t save everyone.” Lucy told him in a deflated manner, another hard pill to swallow for them.

“I know, but if I hadn’t known about the vision. Then I wouldn’t have gone after him. I tried to save him from me, and I ended up killing him. At least, I lead him to his death.” Rufus argued.

“You can’t know that for sure. If you left him alone, he could’ve died another way or whatever. This is so far out of our control. But you can learn from it and move forward.” Lucy told him.

“Yeah, don’t get involved.” Rufus said softly, he wasn’t sure he agreed but he had to admit there was logic to what she was saying. “I told Jiya not tell me anymore of her visions.” He said.

“Rufus.” Lucy sighed, she couldn’t help but a little disappointed as Jiya needed support as much as the rest of them. If not more, given she had zero control of her powers.

“No, it’s dangerous to know our future in the past.” Rufus said adamantly.

“I know but think about Jiya, she’s scared and burdened with these powers. You’re her boyfriend, the person she’s supposed to lean on.” Lucy told him.

“I can’t know.” Rufus said defensively.

“You can listen to what she tells you and not act on it. She needs your support as much as you need hers. Relationships aren’t always easy, there are times you gotta give a little and do things you don’t want to do like listen to music you hate or listen to them talk about their premonitions for the sake of their mental health.” Lucy offered, though as a single woman, she felt out of her depth on this one. None of her past lovers had supernatural powers unless being an asshole was considered a super power. Then Lyger her last boyfriend was the Superman of Assholes.

“But what if she predicts my death or something.” Rufus said.

“Well, wouldn’t it better to know ahead of time to find wiggle room to get around it than not know and die?” Lucy asked acerbically, Rufus snorted a laugh as he knew if he took it seriously he would fall into a dark place. He didn't want to be burdened with his future whatever it may be. He wanted to be surprised.

“I don’t know, I just know that it scares me.” He told her truthfully, because it did. He liked to know he had control, the events in Salem and Jiya’s visions proved that he didn’t.

“I know, and trust me. All of this, it scares me too.” Lucy said, she truly empathised with him.

“How’s your arm?” he asked, changing topic as he didn’t want to be the focus of the conversation.

“Hurts. I cleaned it as best I could and reluctantly let Flynn dress it. He said barring any infections from my subpar medical treatment; it should be fine in couple days.” Lucy assured him with an amused smile. She hated being injured but knew if she had to. She could suck it up, and work.

She could still remember Flynn grumbling about how she wasn’t cleaning it properly and she needed stitches. But they didn’t have a suture kit and even if they did there was no way she could sit through being stitched up. No matter who was doing the stitching. But the upside, it was strangely adorable and empowering to have such a large man hovering over her in concern and still defer to her wishes instead pushing himself and his idea of care on her.

“Just need to sleep.” Rufus said, referring both of them. Lucy snorted a laugh.

“Good luck with that.” Lucy said dryly, just to prove her point. Wyatt could be heard groaning, proving no one was getting any sleep until Wyatt and Jessica slept.

“Yeah, I’m half tempted to pound on their door and tell them to shut up and go to sleep.” Rufus said.

“Do it, for me, please.” Lucy begged, she wasn’t game and she knew if she did it, she would look petty. “I’m going to lose my mind if I don’t get some peace and quiet around here. The constant noise is driving me mental.” She told him, hoping it might urge him to go. But she could see he wasn’t really motivated as he claimed to be. She didn’t blame him as it was mortifying to listen to, but it would be worse to knock on the door.

“I’d say sleep in the lifeboat but I doubt it would cut down the noise.” Rufus said, they both shared a look as the same idea came to them. Lucy awkwardly pushed herself up and stepped down the stairs.

A few seconds later, they piled into the lifeboat and Rufus closed the hatch. They sat in complete silence, drinking their beers and soaking up the serenity of very little noise.

“It’s quieter.” Lucy mused, even though it was an incredibly small space. It was preferable to listening to the sex marathon outside.

“Yeah, only problem is if you fart; the smell is captured and matured in the space.” Rufus commented, Lucy couldn’t help but spray the beer in her mouth as she laughed.

“Hey! Now it’s going to smell like beer in here.” Rufus complained.

“Sorry.” Lucy said before she laughed and gave a drunk hiccup. She couldn't help but laugh at her own hiccup.

“You farted, didn’t you?” he accused her. Lucy laughed as she couldn’t believe how quickly he was accusing her of such an act.

“No, but I can’t control myself when I’m asleep.” She said, she shifted in her chair and grimaced. “These chairs aren’t built for comfort.” She commented.

“I’ll let Connor know.” Rufus remarked sarcastically.

“So, have you and Jiya ever had sex in here?” Lucy asked as she propped her feet up on an empty seat.

“What? No.” Rufus said as he slouched in his chair and placed his feet on one of the other two empty chairs. He made a face like the idea of sex in the lifeboat was a terrible idea. Lucy had to agree given the chairs were not comfortable but that was the man's problem not hers.

“Relax, it’s just a question.” Lucy said as she sat her beer between her legs and stretched her good arm.

“Why would we?” He asked, Lucy was surprised as he was genuinely curious. She figured it had to have crossed his mind at least once. But apparently she was wrong.

“It’s kind of like a car that travels through time. Figured, you’d want to rock it at least once.” Lucy said as she pumped her fist in a crude symbolisation of sexual intercourse. Rufus' expression made it worthwhile.

“Oh my God, Lucy. Stop.” Rufus told her, embarrassed by her lewd gesture as she was the last person she’d expect it from.

“Now, I know that Jiya is the more sexually adventurous one in your relationship.” Lucy remarked, she chuckled.

“I’m plenty adventurous. I also travel through time.” Rufus told her, Lucy smiled in amusement and nodded her head. Rufus wavered. “I’m working on it, not that it’s any of your business but I’m good in that area of my life and always ok with learning more.” He told her.

“Good, that’s all that matters.” Lucy said in a matter of fact manner. She snorted a laugh as Rufus realised what an awkward dork he was being and what he’d just said. They slipped into another companionable silence.

“Man, what am I going to do?” Rufus asked her.

“I don’t know, you could go be with Jiya. I know she’s still awake due to the noise. Really talk things out given you’ve had more time to think it over.” Lucy suggested, she hoped he went to Jiya as he just needed the nudge. To know even if it didn’t work out, at least he tried instead of letting their relationship fade into bitter resentment.  Rufus mulled over her suggestion as they sat in silence and after a few seconds he nodded.

“Yeah, I think I will.” Rufus said, he sighed as he rose from his seat but was careful not to hit his head. “You going to be ok?” he asked her again.

“Yeah, go. I’m just going to sit here for a bit before I get something to eat.” She lied, Rufus nodded taking her at her word.

“Ok, well, if you need to talk, I'm around ok?" he told her, Lucy nodded. "Night.” He said.

“Night,” she replied, Rufus moved past her and opened the hatch. Once it opened, he climbed out of the Lifeboat. She watched him step down to the ground, he paused; taking a moment to decide what he was doing. She smiled when he turned and headed down the hallway in the direction of her and Jiya’s room.

She knew that nothing was resolved but just speaking with Rufus had made her feel somewhat better. She was far from healed but it was good to hear words of support. It was just a shame that sleep was not on the schedule as her body was too wired from lack of sleep and the constant noise to relax. She gave sigh and twirled in her chair, enjoying the juvenility of it for a moment. She wondered what she was going to do for the rest of night.


End file.
